I know you've been getting a lot of emails in the past week, but I'm writing you today, on World Environment Day, to say thanks.

Thanks to the help of Canadians like you, Black Out Speak Out has reached more Canadians than we ever thought possible. We drummed up more than 500 partner groups — including major not-for-profit and social justice organizations, trade unions, scientists, businesses, faith groups, First Nations, and all four federal opposition parties — to help us spread the message about the threats to nature and democracy in Canada.

With your support, #blackoutspeakout trended on Twitter yesterday, almost 10,000 people joined the campaign on Facebook, and countless others changed their Facebook profile pictures and got the word out to their friends. The Black Out Speak Out website got more than 170,000 hits, and 32,000 emails were sent to members of parliament opposing bill C-38. And, check out all the media coverage we got!

Of course, as long as our environmental laws and our voices are under threat, our fight is not over. More of Canada’s environmental laws are expected to be gutted, further threatening our water, air and climate.

Over the course of the summer we will continue to get the message out that Canada’s environmental laws need strengthening, not weakening. We will continue to keep you informed, and we'll need you to speak out again.

The work has only begun. Please consider making a donation to support what has been accomplished, and to continue to apply the pressure needed to protect our environment and democracy.